If you’ve signed the open letter, one of the most effective things you can do next is write to your MP.

MPs pay most attention to messages from their own constituents, especially when people explain, in their own words, why something matters to them.

We’ve drafted a short template below to make this easier. Please use it as a guide, not a script. Start with who you are and your connection to transplant services, and explain why this matters to you. That’s what will make your letter count.

A few quick tips:
- Include your full address at the top. MPs can only reply to their own constituents
- Keep it polite and respectful
- Be clear about what you are asking them to do
- You can send your letter directly, or use www.writetothem.com to find and contact your MP.

Letter:

[Your full name]
[Your address]
[Postcode]
[Email address]
[Date]

[MP’s full name] MP
House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA

Dear [Mr/Ms/Dr] [MP’s surname],

[Start with who you are in one clear sentence. For example:
I am a heart transplant patient.
I am currently on the waiting list for a lung transplant.
My [son/daughter/partner] received a transplant.]

[Then add 2–3 sentences about your experience and why this matters to you.]

Because of this, I wanted to ask for your support on an issue affecting heart and lung transplant services in the UK.

I am supporting this open letter, signed by patients and families, calling for a ministerially sponsored review:
https://www.change.org/heart-lung-transplant

The letter has been written by nationally appointed patient representatives working within NHS structures, speaking on behalf of a wider patient community.

We recognise the skill and dedication of NHS transplant teams. This is not about criticising them, but about making sure the system supports the best possible care.
But there are real concerns. Patients and families are seeing differences in access and outcomes depending on where they are treated, and uncertainty about whether they are getting the best possible care. There are also concerns about the wider support people receive before and after transplant, including follow-up care and psychological support, which can affect recovery and long-term outcomes.

The UK was once a world leader in heart and lung transplantation, but we are now falling behind. Five-year survival after heart transplantation is 72.1% in the UK compared to 85.4% in Australia, and after lung transplantation it is 56.2% compared to 73.5%.

For patients and families, that gap is not abstract. It can mean the difference between life and death, or between living well and struggling after transplant.

These concerns have also been highlighted in recent BBC coverage, including File on 4 Investigates and related reporting:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002t19z
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyrj8rz6jno

Given this, I am asking you to:

• Write to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting MP, to support a ministerially sponsored review
• Support a meeting between Wes Streeting MP and the patient representatives who authored the letter
• Seek clarity on how these issues are being addressed

This matters to people like me. We need to know these services are working as well as they can, when our lives depend on them.

I would be grateful if you could let me know if you are willing to support this request.

Thank you for your time.

Yours sincerely,

[Your full name]